Avro 504 – Φώτο & Βίντεο

Teh Άβρο 504 ήταν ένα διπλάνο αεροσκάφος του Πρώτου Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου που κατασκευάστηκε από την εταιρεία αεροσκαφών Avro και με άδεια από άλλους. Η παραγωγή κατά τη διάρκεια του πολέμου ανήλθε σε 8.970 και συνεχίστηκε για σχεδόν 20 χρόνια, καθιστώντας το το αεροσκάφος με τη μεγαλύτερη παραγωγή οποιουδήποτε είδους που υπηρέτησε σε οποιαδήποτε στρατιωτική ικανότητα κατά τη διάρκεια του Πρώτου Παγκοσμίου Πολέμου. Περισσότερα από 10.000 κατασκευάστηκαν από το 1913 μέχρι τη λήξη της παραγωγής το 1932.

Πηγή: Avro 504 στη Wikipedia

Teh Άβρο 504 was a versatile biplane that served in various roles during the First World War. It was designed by A.V. Roe & Co as a sport and training aircraft, but it also saw action as a reconnaissance, bomber and fighter plane. It was the most-produced British aircraft of the war, with nearly 12,000 units built by Avro and other manufacturers under licence. Some of them were still in use at the beginning of the Second World War.
The Avro 504 had a wooden structure with a square-section fuselage and two equal wings with strong stagger. It was powered by a Gnome rotary engine of 80 hp, later replaced by more powerful models. It had a two-seat tandem cockpit, with a Lewis machine gun mounted on the upper wing for the observer. The Avro 504 had a maximum speed of 152 km/h and a range of 402 km.
The Avro 504 made history as the first Allied aircraft to be shot down by the Germans, on 22 August 1914, and as the first aircraft to perform a strategic bombing raid, on 21 November 1914, when three Avro 504s attacked the Zeppelin sheds at Friedrichshafen. The Avro 504 also proved effective as a night fighter against German airships, using incendiary bullets and bombs.
The Avro 504 was mainly used as a trainer by the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service, and later by the Royal Air Force. It was also exported to many countries, including Australia, Canada, Japan and Mexico. The Avro 504 was a reliable and easy-to-fly aircraft that trained thousands of pilots for both military and civilian aviation.